


Proud Like a Lion

by Lumelle



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Getting Together, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Yuri Plisetsky is a Brat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 16:58:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8924926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumelle/pseuds/Lumelle
Summary: Yuri Plisetsky does not believe in soulmates.Perhaps, however, he could believe in Otabek.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Set in a world where you get your soulmark when you first kiss your soulmate.

Yuri Plisetsky did not believe in soulmates.

Now, this wasn't to say he did not believe in their existence. That would have been quite ridiculous. He saw living examples all around himself, after all, had heard all the sappy stories and seen couples kiss each other's marks, had heard people going on about their special connection and other such nonsense. He had also seen the people who had fallen out, the ones who chose to cover their marks with tattoos or clothes, had heard of the searing disappointment of kissing the love of your life and finding that for all that you felt made for each other your souls did not agree.

It was all just a bunch of noise, really, and all it ever seemed to do was make people's lives even more complicated. By the time Yuri turned ten, he had decided he never wanted to find a soulmate, wanted to live his life without any marks or bonds dragging him down. By the time he was fifteen, he had come to the conclusion that love in general was nothing but a distraction that had nothing to offer him.

Then came Otabek. Otabek, who was proud like a lion and sweet like a kitten, who rode to his rescue on a shining motorbike and spoke of how he wished to be Yuri's friend. Otabek, who sent him cute videos of cats and skated like his heart was on fire. Yuri had never had a friend before, not really, yet here was Otabek standing in front of him and asking to be just that, and something inside Yuri felt so warm he was sure he was going to burst in flames.

There was no fire, though, just Otabek, but that was quite enough.

It was strange, at first, having a friend who wasn't his rinkmate, but Yuri was learning. They weren't often in the same place, of course, but that was what phones and computers were for. He soon got very good at calculating time differences to judge the best times for Skype calls, checked his inbox every time he had a spare moment to do so, posted on his social network accounts more often than before just so Otabek would know what was going on with him. Otabek did the same, speaking to Yuri about practice and his programs and little things in his everyday life, and while with anyone else Yuri would have soon grown annoyed and bored that never happened with Otabek.

Otabek told him he'd bought a little cat cell phone charm, to remind him about Yuri. Instead of telling him he was an idiot, Yuri just felt even warmer than before. He wondered what animal would best describe Otabek.

As the skating year drew to a close Katsuki Yuuri announced his retirement, surprising absolutely nobody. At the same time, Victor offered to become Yuri's coach, which certainly surprised Yuri. After a few sharp comments about how he hardly wished for a coach with Victor's tendencies, it wasn't like he could also marry Yuri like he had done with Yuuri, Yuri fled to gather his thoughts.

Otabek was the first one to come after him, which somewhat surprised him. Yuri had expected Yuuri to be the first one to arrive, worried about him like the soft-hearted idiot he was, but instead it was Otabek with his warm eyes and soft smile. He didn't ask any questions, didn't even say anything, just sat down next to Yuri and breathed with him.

"What do I do?" Yuri asked after a while, breaking the silence.

"What do you want to do?" Otabek asked.

"I don't know." Yuri clenched his fists on his knees, staring down at them. "Yakov's a good coach, probably better than Victor, the guy's got no experience and even less discipline. Yuuri's probably going to be there too, you know he couldn't stay away, and there's a ballet instructor in the town as well. But if I moved to Hasetsu I'd be even further away from my grandfather."

"I think it would be a good idea." Otabek's voice was calm, almost soothing. "Your performances are similar to him in style, and the program he made for you suits you perfectly. Now, he might not have the most discipline as a coach, but I know you have the strength to keep yourself focused if he fails, and as you said Yuuri will be there as well. I know you'd miss your grandfather, but you're already away from him a lot of the time."

"Hey!" Yuri protested. "That's not because I want to be!"

"I know that." Otabek set a hand over Yuri's, and while with anyone else Yuri would have shaken it off, now he let it stay. "What I mean is, I don't think things would change as much as you think. I'm sure your grandfather would understand." Otabek smiled, that small, secret smile Yuri liked to think was reserved only for him. "Besides, you've been good at staying in touch with me despite the time difference. You can do the same for him."

"I guess." It wasn't like anything Otabek said was untrue, it was just… "But what if it doesn't help? What if I get worse?"

"I have faith in you." Otabek squeezed his hand, still smiling. "Why don't you give it a try? Victor seems to like competitions. Tell him you'll let him coach you for a month, and if you aren't improving, you will go back to Yakov."

"That… that might work." Yuri drew a deep breath. "There's — there's still —"

"Your crush on Yuuri?" As Yuri spluttered in response, Otabek simply smiled. "It's not exactly hard to notice, you know. For someone who claims to be annoyed by him, you sure talk about him a lot. At first I thought you were jealous of him, but then I realized it was Victor you were jealous of."

Yuuri could have denied it, could have argued, but decided against it. He hadn't lied to Otabek before, and wasn't about to start now. "I'm over it by now," he said, mostly truthfully. "Doesn't necessarily mean I want to see those two climbing all over each other every day."

"I'm sure they will learn to behave." Otabek shrugged. "They're still just a bit high on their new bond, that's all."

"They got their marks in China! On ice, in front of everyone! If they haven't calmed down by now, they never will." And hadn't that been just a delightful little show, Victor tackling Yuuri to the ice and then hurriedly crawling away as the appearing marks burned their skin. Their marks were right over their hearts, of course they were, those two would always be sappy even about such things.

"Well, they are soulmates. It sometimes takes time for couples to adjust." Otabek's lips curled a little. "Don't you think you would be enthusiastic if you found your soulmate like that?"

"I don't need a soulmate." Yuri snorted. "I have skating and grandfather and my cat and you. A soulmate would just get in the way of all that."

Otabek was silent again, but didn't take his hand away. He stayed right there until Yuri finally stood up, ready to go tell Victor that he was willing to try.

Otabek was always there, it seemed, always lending an ear when Yuri needed to talk, not pushing when he didn't want to say anything. Perhaps Yuri had even come to rely on him a little too much, but from what he had been told that was what friends were for. And he was there for Otabek in turn, of course, Otabek never bored him after all, and if Yuri maybe got himself a new black cat plushie with brown eyes that he hugged whenever he got too tired or anxious, well, nobody needed to know.

Otabek was there when Yuri skated his way into the Grand Prix Final and the podium, was the first to congratulate him as the scores were announced, putting him in the lead and leaving others behind. Perhaps Yuri hadn't expected the congratulations to take the form of a brief, soft kiss, but really, he wasn't complaining.

He also hadn't expected the searing pain that burned his shoulder fraction of a moment later, gone as soon as it had arrived, leaving him panting for air. One glance told him that Otabek had felt it too, his eyes just a bit wider than usual, mouth open in heavy breaths.

Yuri reached forward without thinking, unzipped the jacket Otabek was wearing. Otabek didn't resist, not even as Yuri pushed the jacket down his arms and tugged one of his t-shirt sleeves up, knowing that he should have found bare, unmarked skin underneath. Instead, he found himself looking at a complicated mark, swirls and loops reaching over smooth skin like the marks of skates on ice, the outline of the mark drawing the shape of a tiger's head. Yuri brushed his fingers against the mark, speechless for a moment, barely even registering that everyone around them had gone perfectly still and quiet.

He lifted his eyes from the mark and Otabek was smiling, Otabek was smiling that small, soft smile of his, not looking at all surprised at this revelation.

Mind you, Yuri Plisetsky still did not believe in soulmates.

Perhaps, though, he could believe in Otabek.


End file.
